As a twin parent, especially when your children are infants, there can be some natural anxiety when you think about managing routines like bedtime, bath time or getting out of the house alone.
Let us reassure you that there will come a time when you will feel confident handling all things your twins require completely on your own.
Baby steps friends, baby steps.
You may or may not have had help thus far on your parenting journey, but overall, we hope that you are beginning to feel like you are finding your groove.
But what happens when your partner goes back to work, travels for work and your relatives head back to their own realities? Suddenly, you’re left to fend for your self with TWO babies all by yourself.
You may be left wondering how you will manage everything when you’re all alone, especially when your babies need a bath!
Well, the good news? Babies don’t need baths all that often, typically a few times a week will suffice! Sure, a quick bath before bedtime can be a component of your bedtime routine. But really, don’t worry if you can’t make it happen daily.
When you do find yourself staring at the tub, two babies and only one of you, things might seem a bit intimidating.
TRUST US. . . you can handle it!
Let us just remind you that water safety is key! Never leave a baby near water without a supervising adult. We can’t stress water safety enough, which is why we will tell you to not attempt something you aren’t overly comfortable with.
Managing Bath Time With Twins ALONE:
Prepare Ahead of Time:
Before you begin bath time, get prepared. Lay out towels, soap, diapers, pajamas, etc. Being fully prepared and having everything ready makes bath time more efficient and ensures that you won’t have to leave the bathroom during the bath. Keeping everything you need within arms reach will help ensure that everyone is safe and happy.
Things to have on hand in the bathroom:
- towels
- shampoo
- lotion
- diapers
- clothes
We find it helpful to bring an additional playmat, blanket, or Dock A Tot in the bathroom to lay one baby down on while you bathe and change the other.
Bathtime Routine:
Now that you are all prepped, make sure that everyone is happy and simply pick a baby to go first. If you have a baby that is super fussy during bath time, choose that baby go last. Allow the baby who doesn’t love the bath to lay on the play mat peacefully while you bathe the other twin.
Give your baby a bath. When it’s time to dry this baby off, simply pull the baby out of the tub or sink (we love this Puj tub) and dry them off.
You have the option to lotion and put on jammies OR wait until baby B is done and dress two at a time. Be warned that a baby without a diaper can make a mess pretty quickly (wink, wink)!
Set the clean baby down on the play mat and then bathe your other babe.
And REPEAT!
Using this simple strategy can help take some of the stress away that you have during bath time. Look at it this way, you can spend a little time (even just a few minutes counts) with each of them in the tub and not have to worry about someone crying in the crib!
At first, bathing two babies at once might take you a few extra minutes, but then you’ll end up being a baby bathing machine. Remember, it’s all in the prep because you can’t leave a baby unattended near the water. Preparation is key!
Once your babies get older and more independent, you can bath two babies at a time in the tub while you are alone. We would recommend, however, that you wait to put them both in the tub when they are solid sitters. We used a laundry basket to reduce the space they had to slip and slide around in the bathtub. These Summer Infant bath seats are a game changer though…you might want to add these to your registry! Talk about the ultimate multitasking tool!
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3330060″]
What are some ways you have successfully tackled bath time with twin infants all by yourself? We’d love to hear from you!
